Zangy Skillet Chicken with Mushrooms and Cipollini Onion

I got two new cast-iron skillets for Christmas from my brother and sister in law, and I’m absolutely loving them!  They also got me a new cookbook all about cooking with cast-iron skillets.  The recipes in this cookbook are “gourmet” dishes, and as you can see below, require lots of ingredients.  This was the first recipe I tried from the cookbook, and it was very tasty!  I made quite a few substitutions to this recipe, but I tried to stay true to the overall flavors.  I actually didn’t use the Cipollini Onions, because they were WAY more expensive that regular onions.  Cipollini Onions are supposed to be very sweet, which I’m sure would be delicious in this dish.  “Zangy” is the cookbook author’s word to describe the combination of spicy, sweet, and flavorful ingredients.

Zangy Skillet Chicken with Mushrooms and Cipollini Onions

From Cast-Iron Skillet Cooking, byDwayne Ridgaway

Ingredients:

• 1 whole (3-pound) roaster chicken, cut into 8 pieces, or 3 pounds assorted bone-in or boneless chicken pieces (I used boneless)
• 7 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 7 whole large white mushrooms, quartered
• 7 whole large cremini mushrooms, quartered (I used more white mushrooms)
• 1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms
• 8 ounces cipollini onions, peeled and cut in half (I used sweet yellow onions)
• 6 clove garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup Madeira (I used sherry)
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 2 large stems fresh rosemary
• 3 small stems fresh thyme
• 1 bunch broccoli rabe, trimmed and chopped (I used broccolini)
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons honey

For the Zangy Dry Rub:

• 1 tablespoon chile powder (ancho or chipotle if you have it)
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

Place the chicken on a large plate or platter.  Prepare the Zangy Dry Rub: in a small bowl, combine the chile powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper, salt, and cumin, stirring to combine, stirring to combine.  Toss the chicken with the dry rub, coating and rubbing evenly, getting it under the skin; cover and set aside for at least 30 minutes or refrigerate overnight (if refrigerating the chicken overnight, remove 30 minutes prior to cooking).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a 13″ lidded cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.  Place the chicken in the skillet in a single layer, browning each side for 5 minutes per side.  Remove the chicken and set aside.  Add 2 tablespoons of the butter and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil to the skillet, melting the butter.  Add the mushrooms, onion, and garlic to the skillet.  Saute until the mushrooms are tender and the garlic has begun to brown.  Add the Madeira, deglazing the pan and cooking for 2 minutes; add the chicken broth, stirring to combine.  Return the chicken pieces to the skillet, with rosemary and thyme.  Toss around to coat the chicken with the pan juices, cover, and place in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.  Remove and let rest, covered, for 10 minutes.

In a large skillet heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat/  Add the broccoli rabe, cooking until wilted and tender but still crisp and bright green, about 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper and add the honey, stirring to combine.  Serve the chicken and mushrooms over hot broccoli rabe.